Towering 'firestorm clouds' are largely a mystery. A first-of-its kind NASA mission is working to change that.

NASA's first-of-its-kind INSPYRE mission aims to study pyrocumulonimbus clouds, which form from wildfires and inject smoke into the upper atmosphere. The mission involves a NCAR plane flying into these fire-generated thunderstorms to gather data on their formation and effects. Scientists hope to improve predictions of which fires produce these clouds and understand their downstream environmental impacts.